The Dreaded “B” Word

As a fifth grader, I’m thankful she still shows us signs of sweetness and even humors her little brother every now and then. And luckily, she’s shown NO interest in boys yet (at least to my knowledge).

But there are still many signs that she’s not a little kid anymore: she’s asking about her own electronics, wants her own room and is all about privacy. And as we creep ever closer to entering middle school, there is one seemingly inevitable right of passage for every child that I’m dreading: the “B” word.

Do you know what I’m talking about? Braces.

In fact, just this weekend I came face to face with this reality in a way that scared me as a parent.

Kariss is embarking upon another first for her: not only is she participating in her first team sport, but it’s one she’s never done before: basketball.

Though she was hesitant at first, she went through the draft without complaining and was not only asked to be a part of the team, the coach asked her and a couple other girls to move up to the next age level!

Instead of being scared as I thought she would be, she took the coaches vote of confidence as exactly that and agreed to step up to the challenge.

Last Saturday was her first “unofficial” practice to give all the girls on the team a chance to get to know each other better.

We met at the coach’s house and as the girls started to shoot around, a family from last year’s team walked up the driveway. The coach promptly greeted the eleven year old daughter and commented on her missing front teeth, asking if that was new. The mom replied with a quick “Oh no, those have been gone since we moved here a year ago,” and proceeded to tell a tale of teeth pulling and braces that would terrify any pre-teen’s parent!

Did I really have to start thinking about braces already?

Not only did the projected length of time she’d have to spend in the braces shock me, but the cost of the ordeal nearly made me fall to the concrete.

In that moment, I remembered hearing about Invisalign at a recent conference I’d attended and wanted to come home and research them so I’d be prepared WHEN it was time for my daughter to have braces. Would you believe that not soon after that, I was approached to share about the Countdown to Confidence Sweepstakes with Invisalign?

That’s right, not only is Invisalign a discreet alternative to braces that allows teens and adults alike the chance to perfect their smile without sacrificing their busy life, but in honor of Self Improvement Month, Invisalign wants to challenge women to take on something they’ve always wanted to do for themselves and give their self-confidence a boost.

Obviously everyone won’t be able to win the contest, but you know I wouldn’t share this with you if there wasn’t a way to save money.

Anyone can take advantage of Invisalign’s express treatment: it is a quick, affordable option specifically designed for minor teeth-straightening issues. The express option is a good solution for tooth movement that happens when retainers are not worn regularly or that is common with aging. Results from Invisalign’s express treatment can be seen in as little as 10 weeks and requires only 5 sets of clear aligners… this is the perfect option for you to get that beautiful smile you’ve always wanted!

So what are you waiting for? You know I always advise you that if you want to maximize your money, don’t wait until you NEED something to go shopping for it. Look into Invisalign NOW.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post I wrote on behalf of Invisalign. However, not only are all thoughts and opinions my own, I was literally about to seek out Invisalign after this happened to us because I thought it was such a unique way to share our story!